Hey everyone,
Last week, My quantary 28-90mm lens crapped out on me. It seems to be jammed. It is still under warranty but I am not sure if I should even be using this lens, as I hear the quality of them compared to Nikkor Lens is not nearly as good. That is only what I have heard though, so I wouldnt mind some insight on that.

Right now that leaves me with just my nikkor 70-300mm lens, for my Nikon N65. I was planning on ordering some new lenes soon, but now I have no choice since my quantary is out of action until, or if I get it fixed.
I was wondering what lens i should have available.
I am a student pilot so I would be taking ramp pictures, and in flight pictures of the cockpit, and cockpits of various aircraft on the tarmac. I was wondering if I should be using a wide angle lens or what?
I hear a 50mm F1.8 Are very handy to have, and can be had for under $100.

So I would love it if someone could give me some recommendations for inflight cockpit shots, and ramp shots of aircraft.
Thanks!
Jason

A very good choice would be the Sigma 28-70 f/2.8 EX or the Tokina 28-70 f/2.8 ATX Pro.
Those are very decently priced professional class lenses (the equivalent Nikkor is the 28-70 f/2.8 AF-S which costs some 3 times as much).
As an alternative you could think about getting several primes instead.
The corresponding set might be the 24mm f/2.8 AF-D Nikkor, 35mm f/2 AF-D Nikkor, 50mm f/1.8 AF-D Nikkor and 85mm f/1.8 AF-D Nikkor. Better glass, but more weight and cost. For me this would likely be the choice if I had enough money but that's mainly because I don't use the zoom a lot for action shots (I'd also scrap the 50 from the list as I know I'd never use it).

I don't know which 70-300 you have, but upgrading it to the 70-300 IF-ED D might be worth the money. It's a lot better than the cheaper AF-G and AF-D models.

For a wideangle, the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX might be a good choice. Lightweight, very fast, and sturdy.
As an alternative the 28mm f/2.8 AF-D Nikkor.
About the same price class, the Nikkor is probably a bit better and would be my choice (the Sigma comes with a lenshood which you have to buy separate for the Nikkor (hood HN-1 costs about €30)).

Thanks alot Jwenting. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.
I did some looking around, and I was wondering what you might think of this lens:
http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.process?RestartFlow=t&Section_Id=&Product_Id=3713840&ProductPageTab=Details#productTabs
Its got a bit more range then the sigma 28-70 and has a pretty nice price but I am not sure if it is any good.
Thanks!
Jason

I have no experience with that lens.
It's NOT an EX lens though (despite what the description on that website says, which makes me doubt the whole company somewhat), which means it's not one of Sigma's better offerings.

You had better look at the 28-105 Nikkor instead, it's not much more and would offer better quality.
The slightly narrower focal range you'd rarely notice.

Thanks again Jwenting,
I did some looking around on B&H and I think I got myself a pretty sweet setup in the shopping basket.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=800346341&is=USE&si=feat#goto_itemInfo
&
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=247091&is=GREY

What do you guys think of possibly getting both of those? Would that 24mm be wide enough for cockpit shots?
And would I be stupid for buying two fixed position lenses and not just one like 24-70mm lens?